Social Health

Social well-being is a very important part in creating and maintaining a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Just think back to a difficult time in your life . Did it make it better knowing that you had the support, consideration and encouragement from a strong social network?

Social also means experiencing others with like minds or like interests and having fun!

Some components of social health include:

The caring and healthy relationships you have in your life

Your social network, such as what clubs and/or organizations you belong to

Your level of safety

Your housing situation

Your level of interdependence, and if you are willing to accept and give help to other people

Positive interactions with your community (i.e. volunteer work)

Your acceptance of diversity. This means accepting people regardless of their ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability or religion

Life gets busy and you may become so overwhelmed in work or home life that you neglect this part of your well-being. Remember that your connection to your friends, family and community is important in maintaining balance in your day-to-day life. To that end we offer the – “Talk And Grow Social Hub”. Check it out and join today by logging in here.

Posted below are articles relating to Social Health. New articles are posted on a regular basis.

New City, New Social Group: Getting Acclimated in Your New Hometown

by Tom Tom

Moving is daunting in and of itself. Simply coordinating the feat can leave you drained of energy and money, not to mention the feeling of isolation that comes from being somewhere where you don’t know anyone. The best way to survive the emotional toll of a recent move is to get out into your new city, get involved and make friends. So once you unpack boxes and crawl out from under your moving hangover, how do you make yourself at home? Here are four tips for finding new friends in a new city without having to step too far outside your comfort zone.

Start with work. You spend so much of your week with the people at your place of employment, it’s a natural place to seek out new friendships. This is the low-hanging fruit as new friendships can be struck up during the workday or over lunch. Whom do you gravitate toward? You may want to throw out an after-work drink invitation as a convenient way to get to know your coworkers. And since you work together, there is already a giant pool of conversation ideas that would interest everyone.

Don’t wait too long to get out and meet your neighbours. Aside from this just being polite, it’s also a great way to meet interesting people. Whether you have moved into a swim and tennis community in a suburban community or a high rise in the heart of a bustling city, you are surrounded by people. Get involved in the place you live by going to the pool, being active in your HOA or simply by meeting your new neighbours as you see them about. Many neighbourhoods have social gatherings like book clubs and poker groups that meet regularly, not too mention pool parties and holiday festivities. Plus, you can’t beat the drive.

Do you play tennis? Do you bowl? Do you have mad skee-ball skills? Most cities have a vast resource of recreational leagues full of people also looking to make new friends and stay active. Oftentimes these events are followed by dinner or drinks. The Internet is a great place to start looking up recreational teams in your area. If you don’t have a specific area of expertise but like the idea of meeting other active people, join a gym and hit up some classes. You never know, your new BFF might be waiting for you at the local Hot Yoga studio.

Another place to get involved and make new friends is with a group of passionate, like-minded people. Are you religious? You could start by finding a local and growing church with people that are seeking similar things. Or perhaps volunteering is your bag and you want to meet others who are intent on making a difference. Whatever your passion, it is always good to have people in your life who want the same thing for the world in which they live. Even if you don’t meet potential close friends, it will feel great getting out and getting your mind off of being in a new place.

Moving is a wonderful adventure full of new possibilities, but it can also be lonely. In order to ease the pang of having to relocate and give yourself the best chance of acclimating to a new town, it’s best to stay as active as possible and get involved in your new community as soon as you can. Identifying the things you like to do and are interested in and then seeking out other people doing the same thing can ease the loneliness and give you maximum enjoyment for your fresh start.